Five questions with Manitoulin Brewing

Manitoulin Brewing Company joins us November 4 for Mastering The Art of Homemade Salsiccia and Beer Tasting, the next instalment of our Cooking Class series. Tickets are $65 (plus taxes and gratuity) and available by calling Verdicchio Ristorante | Enoteca.

We caught up with Blair Hagman, president of Manitoulin Brewing , earlier this week to chat about beer, bottles and dreaming big.

1. What were the circumstances that led the three of you to open a craft brewery in Little Current?

Originally it was a love for craft beer and the idea that brewing craft beer on Manitoulin Island would be a dream.

2. You currently have three brews on the market. Any plans to expand your offering?

Yes, we are currently brewing up a small batch series that will be sold exclusively at our onsite retail shop and select licensees.

Yes, we have a 20HL 3 vessel brewing system from NSI Newlands. We brew and package our products onsite for retail here on Manitoulin Island and sales to licensees, LCBO and The Beer Store.

4. Where do you see the company in five years from now?

That is a good question! We have the space onsite to add more fermenters and equipment. We can see expansion coming in the future and also experimenting with unique brews incorporating as much local ingredients as possible.

5. Explain the process behind the naming of your beers and designing of your cans.

We wanted to name each of our beers named after landmarks on Manitoulin Island. Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world and there are all kinds of unique places and landmarks to name each brew after. People connect well to the names of each beer because they make the connection to what Manitoulin Island has to offer. We were lucky to connect with Francois Chartrand, originally from Sudbury, who has done an exceptional job of taking the name and concept and creating an attractive design for each brew.